This invention relates generally to vehicle undercoating and, in particular, to an improved hand-held spray gun incorporating its own directional and adjustable light source.
For over twenty years, service garages have been applying protective rust-inhibiting sealants to the underbodies and hidden surfaces of automobiles and other vehicles. The sealants themselves have generally been viscous, petroleum-based compounds which harden upon application to provide rust and sound resistance for the coated metal surfaces. Today, many varieties of rust-inhibiting compounds are available on the market. These include QUAKER-KOAT marketed by Quaker State Oil Co. of Oil City, Pa., BODY GARD marketed by Body Gard, Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, MORTEX marketed by Kendall Oil, Inc. of Bradford, Pa., DURA-COAT marketed by Durable Coatings, Inc. of Akron, Ohio, ZIEBART, marketed by Ziebart, Inc. of Warren, Mich., and others.
The preferred method of applying these undercoating sealants is by spraying means using one of two conventional types of hand-held, portable spray guns. The first type is a pressurized air spray gun incorporating both a sealant and an air supply with means for mixing the two to produce a pressurized spray of the sealing compound. The second type is an airless gun in which a single sealant supply is used with the compound being squirted onto the desired surfaces. Both air spray and airless spray guns are common and available on the market, and function well to provide protective coatings on the hidden vehicle surfaces and underbodies.
However, one problem that has plagued the rust-inhibiting industry since its inception is the proper illumination of vehicle underbodies during the spraying procedure. For almost twenty years, the most common method has been for the sprayer to hold the spray gun in one hand and a steel utility light in the other, directing the light at the surface being coated. These "trouble" lights are often heavy and require long cords making them both cumbersome and tiring to use. They also require a 120 volt service which can be dangerous in the work/spray area because of the presence of hazardous cleaning or other compounds. Accordingly, many garages have at moments employed one man to hold the light while another does the spraying. Still other garages have permitted sprayers to hang a "trouble" light to the underbody itself; but this practice is both annoying and very dangerous, and lacks the directional illumination needed for effective underbody spraying.
Applicant is aware that still other garages have installed expensive light structures either along the floor, walls or the ceiling, or all, employing some means of reflecting light to the vehicle underbodies. However, the expense of such structures is often prohibitive, and their effect substantially more dangerous than is required to accomplish the spraying application.
Therefore, the need has been and remains for a simple, safe, durable, and portable light source for use in the vehicle rust-inhibiting industry. It should be inexpensive, provide little or no danger from its voltage requirements, and have both directional and adjustable capability to provide light at the precise area of spray. It should further do these things efficiently, conveniently, and safely. Applicant is aware of no such device disclosed to or available in the art prior to his present invention.